Thunderbirds Series 1, Episode 11: Sing to Survive
by SatNavDan
Summary: Thunderbirds in an alternate universe. Heidi is touring Europe seeing singer Elle French when their plane comes down in the Swiss Alps. They become separated from the rest of the survivors and need to survive until International Rescue can find them - and they have an ingenious way of guiding them to their location. Thanks to MusicalTB2 for the idea of Elle French.
1. Pre-Titles

THE Palais Garnier in Paris was playing host to the latest rising star in the music business – Elle French. She'd already become world-famous after winning on a talent contest in England where she'd totally blown the competition to pieces with her incredible singing voice. To celebrate her success, Elle was doing a grand tour around Europe taking in Paris, Geneva, Rome and Berlin as well as several other places.

Among the many people watching at the sold-out gig in the Palais Garnier was Heidi Rowley, who was taking a special break from her duties with International Rescue to follow Elle on her tour. She was a huge admirer of Elle and her voice as were the Tracy family themselves.

The show was drawing to a close, and the audience watched enchanted as Elle stood on the stage in front of her accompanying orchestra in a bright red dress and sang her final song for the show.

"May it be an evening star, shines down upon you.

May it be when darkness falls, your heart will be true.

You walk down a lonely road. Oh! How far you have come.

Mornie utulie, believe and you will find your way.

Mornie alantie , a promise lives within you now.

May it be the shadow's call, will fly away.

May it be your journey on, to light the day.

Mornie utulie, believe and you will find your way.

Mornie alantie, a promise lives within you now.

A promise lives within you now."

The crowd erupted into an enormous cheer and applause. Everyone stood up as an emotional Elle took a bow and started blowing kisses out. "Thank you all so much for coming!" Elle said to the crowd. "I love you all! Good night and au revoir!"

Heidi and the rest of the audience continued to applauded until Elle and the musicians backing her had left the stage.

* * *

After returning to her hotel room, Heidi made a call to Tracy Island to tell Daniel how the concert had gone.

"Is she as good as she sounds on the radio?" Daniel asked.

"She more than exceeds that," Heidi said. "I've never been so enchanted by such an incredible voice. Way better than yours." She winked.

Daniel coughed indignantly. "Yes, well, erm," he said. "And you're on the same flight to her next concert tomorrow, aren't you?"

"Yes, I've managed to secure VIP access to the band's personal heli-plane," Heidi said excitedly. "I'm hoping she'll come and talk to me and the other guests during the flight."

"Lucky you," said Daniel with a grin. "I'm not jealous by the way."

Heidi raised her eyebrows as Daniel looked to one side. "Yes, you are. Come on, Daniel, admit it!" she teased.

"Admit?" Daniel answered. "Never heard of such a word!" He winked. "By the way, our guests will be arriving shortly so I'd better make sure everything is in order."

"Guests?" repeated Heidi. "I don't remember you didn't tell me you were having guests? Is it Lady Penelope and Parker?"

"Not this time," said Daniel. "And surely you can't have forgotten that they were coming, can you? Actually, scratch that – you wouldn't have booked leave to go and see Elle French if you'd remembered."

Heidi was very confused. "Clearly I have," she said. "Anyway, it doesn't matter. I must get some sleep. Goodnight, Daniel."

"Goodnight, Heidi," said Daniel. "Sleep tight and have a safe flight."

"Thank you," said Heidi. But after Daniel signed off, Heidi went over to the bed in her hotel room. She was just lying down when a forgotten memory suddenly came flooding back to her – the identity of the visitors to Tracy Island. "Oh, noooooooooooooo!" she exclaimed as she covered her face in disbelief.

5! (DUN)

4! (DUN)

3! (DUN)

2! (DUN)

1! (ENGINE ROARS)

*Thunderbirds theme plays*

"THUNDERBIRDS ARE GO!"


	2. Act I

CASSIDY and Sian were busy in their bedroom getting themselves smartened up by Joanne. They were rather confused.

"Mum, what exactly is going on today?" asked Cassidy. "Why does Daniel want everything to be perfect?"

"We've got visitors today," Joanne replied as she brushed Cassidy's hair for her. "So everything has to be spot on for them."

"Is it Lady Penelope?" asked Sian.

Joanne shook her head. "No, you haven't met them yet," she replied. "But you will soon."

There was a knock at the door. It was Laura. "Are you ready?" she asked.

"Almost," Joanne replied. "Have they arrived yet?"

"Literally just have," said Laura. "We're going down to see them."

"We'll be down in five minutes," said Joanne and Laura left them to it.

"She seems excited," remarked Sian.

"It's because our guests haven't been here for quite a while," Joanne said. "That is why they're all excited."

Sian and Cassidy looked at each other, still wonder who the mysterious guests could be.

* * *

Soon, both girls were ready in their best smart-casual clothes and Joanne led them down to the lounge. As they entered, they could see Laura with Katie, Beth, Wizzy and Adrienne all looking just as smart. Daniel was behind his desk as usual and Jodie, Zoë, Rosie and Karolina were positioned in various places around the room. Their attention was then drawn to five young men who were sitting on the sofa. The first was really tall with brown hair and blue eyes with a blue shirt on. The second was the shorted with blonde hair and blue eyes and wearing a green T-shirt. The third was also tall but with orange hair and green eyes. He was wearing a slightly pinkish-white shirt. The fourth was big-built with black hair and brown eyes and was wearing a red and black chequered shirt; and the last man was also blonde but with brown eyes and wearing a bright orange Hawaiian-like shirt. These were the Tracy brothers, Scott, Virgil, John, Gordon and Alan.

"Ah, hello there!" said Scott greeting the girls warmly.

Sian and Cassidy almost squealed with delight. They always loved it when the brothers came to visit.

"No Brains this time?" asked Sian noticing that the Indian-born scientist was absent.

"No, I'm afraid Brains is a little pre-occupied with his latest project," said Virgil. He had some kind of smirk on his face.

"It involves two legs!" joked Alan but subsided when Scott glared at him.

Daniel laughed. "Professor Moffat's got him under her spell again?" he asked.

"You could say that," chuckled Gordon.

"Yes," said John. "Now then, Daniel. Shall we begin?"

"Yes, let us," agreed Daniel.

* * *

With all the greetings over, the International Rescue team began the inspections with Scott joining Laura in Thunderbird 1, Virgil joining Katie in Thunderbird 2, Alan overseeing Beth and Adrienne on a trip into space aboard Thunderbird 3, Gordon and Wizzy taking a ride in Thunderbird 4 around the underwater obstacle course and finally John was collected by the space-elevator so that he could visit Kerry and the girls aboard Thunderbird 5.

Scott and Laura were taking a trip around Tracy Island via a holographic aerial assault course which put Laura's flying skills to the limit.

"Wa-hey!" exclaimed Scott as they zoomed through a narrow gap between the island's mountain peaks. "You're excellent, Laura."

"Thanks, Scott," said Laura. "But I don't believe you've seen this!"

Scott was almost thrown out of his seat despite being strapped in as Laura cut the engines causing Thunderbird 1 to drastically drop in height. "WOOOAHHHH!" he exclaimed in alarm. Luckily however, Laura restarted the engines and they levelled off just above the water. Laura grinned as she heard Scott panting heavily behind her. "Can…can you promise me something?" Scott said.

"Sure," said Laura.

"Don't ever do that to me again!" Scott laughed.

"Easy there, Scott – you're stalling!" Virgil's voice teased over the radio as Thunderbird 2 zoomed overhead.

"Really, Virgil?" sighed Scott. "You're getting as bad as Daniel!"

"He and Dad had a lot in common," laughed Virgil. He was sitting in Daniel's seat in Thunderbird 2 whilst Katie was also taking them through an aerial assault course – although a much less challenging one due to Thunderbird 2 being a lot bigger than Thunderbird 1 was.

Katie brought Thunderbird 2 down low towards the two small rocks that stuck out of the sea on the eastern side of Tracy Island. She was so low that the power of Thunderbird 2's engines was kicking up water spray. Virgil got a little nervous himself as they got rather close to the rocks before Katie pulled them up and spun round to the left at the very last moment to finish the assault course.

"Ha!" Katie laughed when they'd finished. "Now how did you like that?"

"You better go easier next time, Katie," said Virgil. "I think one of the wings may have come loose!"

Katie looked alarmed but then she realised Virgil was teasing her so she gave him a playful punch on the arm in return.

* * *

Not far beneath the surface of the water, Thunderbird 4 was doing its own assault course which was more challenging due to the terrain and limited space that it had to work with. Wizzy was showing Gordon her skills to avoid obstacles such as rocks and the occasional explosive mine on a cable. These were fake, but had a built-in alarm system that went off if one was touched.

Gordon was using a stopwatch to time Wizzy as she made her way round the course. It started and ended at the mouth of the cave that Thunderbird 4 used to launch without Thunderbird 2. "Come on now, Wizzy, the clock's ticking!"

"It would be better if you didn't tell me, Gordon!" Wizzy said sounding a bit annoyed as they rounded the final bend and headed for the mouth of the cave.

"Eight seconds!" said Gordon as they surfaced. "Five, four, three, two…"

"YES!" said Wizzy as they entered the cave. "I did it!"

"Only by a second though," said Gordon cheekily.

Having completed their inspections, Scott, Virgil and Gordon gave their thoughts and opinions to Daniel. They were pleased to say there was no negatives to report at all.

"That's great, guys," said Daniel. "I'm glad my girls haven't lost their touch."

Laura, Katie and Wizzy beamed.

"I wonder how the others are getting on?" asked Zoë.

Before anyone could reply, Beth appeared over the hologram projector. she didn't look happy.

"Hey, Beth, how's it going up there?" asked Daniel.

"Not so great," Beth sighed. "Dad, I thought Alan was meant to be observing us today?"

"He is," said Daniel, frowning. "Why, what's is he doing?"

A loud snore was then heard over the speaker. Scott's face turned ugly as he jumped up from the sofa. "ALAN!" he roared. "WAKE UP, FOR PETE'S SAKE!"

Virgil grabbed his brother. "Easy, Scott – that's not going to solve things."

The hologram image showed that Alan was floating around Thunderbird 3's cockpit whilst sleeping soundly. No wonder Adrienne and Beth looked annoyed.

"You'll just have to wake him up," said Daniel.

This gave Adrienne an idea. "I know!" she said. "Beth, hold on." With that, she applied power to the ion-fusion engine.

"WHOAA!" exclaimed Alan as the force of Thunderbird 3 accelerating woke him up and he slammed into the wall at the back of the cockpit. Adrienne then cut the power and Thunderbird 3 stopped. They looked back to see Alan pinned up against the wall before he slid slowly down onto the floor. He looked a bit winded but was otherwise okay.

Beth and Adrienne looked at each and giggled. Even the others back on Tracy Island couldn't help but chuckle.

"Uggh – what the heck was that for?" Alan grumbled.

"Alan, you're supposed to be observing, not sleeping!" scolded Scott.

Alan sighed. "But, Scott, this is boring!" he complained. "I want to have a go!"

"She's not your ship anymore, Alan," said Scott. "Thunderbird 3 belongs to Adrienne and Beth."

"You can have a go," said Beth to Alan.

"Just push that," said Adrienne, pointing to the lever between them.

"Uh-oh!" Wizzy said.

Alan's eyes lit up. "Really?!" he exclaimed excitedly. "Cool!" He pushed the lever forwards which started the ion-fusion engine again. Thunderbird 3 shot off once more and as Alan wasn't strapped in, he went flying backwards into the wall of the cockpit again. "AAAAAHHHH! OOF!" He then slid down onto the floor again as Beth cut the engines. "Ow!" Alan said sheepishly.

John sighed. "When will he ever learn?" he asked.

"He's still young, John," said Kerry. "Surely he can't be like this back when you're all at home?"

"Oh, you don't know the half of it!" said John. "Whilst we're working our asses off he's sleeping with the chicks from his High School!"

Kerry, Kaylee, Katrina, Kelly and Becky exchanged puzzled looks. They were not sure they wanted to know any more details so they said nothing.

John's words had also been heard on Tracy Island.

"I assume he means the girls?" Daniel asked quietly.

"Yes, I'm afraid he does," said Scott.

"Mind you, Gordon's not much better," teased Virgil.

Gordon spat some of his coffee out. "H-hey!" he spluttered indignantly whilst the others burst out laughing. It was lucky Zoë wasn't in the room to have seen this.

Daniel sat back in his chair. "I wonder how Heidi's getting on with Elle French," he said.

Virgil's eyes lit up suddenly. "Did you say who I think you said?" he asked.

"Yes, Virgil, I did," said Daniel. "That's why she's not here too."

The others grinned. It was no secret that Virgil was also a massive fan of Elle French which was one of the reasons why he and Heidi always got on so well.

* * *

Heidi gazed out of her window at the breath–taking sight below the Heli–Plane. The snow–covered mountains looked beautiful under the clear, blue skies. The weather was just perfect. It seemed the kind of day, Heidi thought, that nothing could go wrong.

Elle came and sat down beside her. "You okay?" she asked.

Heidi jumped slightly. "Oh, it's you!" she laughed. "You startled me."

Elle laughed too. "I'm sorry," she said. "Would you like a drink?" she added handing Heidi a can of Fanta.

"Thank you," said Heidi. She took the can and looked back out the window.

"It's incredible, isn't it?" Elle said.

"Beautiful," Heidi agreed. "I wouldn't mind putting on my skies right now and taking a shot at one of those mountains."

"Skiing is something I've always wanted to try," said Elle. "But my schedule is so busy I never seem to find time for anything."

"I'm sure you'll get your chance someday," said Heidi. "I admit it's been a while since…"

BANG! The Heli–Plane shuddered. Thick black smoke and flames started billowing out from the port engine and the giant rotor blades stopped.

"Oh, my God, what's happening?!" Elle gasped.

The other passengers began to panic as the aircraft dropped in height.

"WE'RE GOING TO CRASH!" the drummer shouted.

"EVERYONE GET IN CRASH POSITIONS!" Heidi yelled trying to be heard above the screams of the others.

But one of the female violinists and one of the saxophone players grabbed the parachute bags under their seats and ran for the door.

"SCREW THIS!" the violinist shouted. "I'M GOING TO LIVE!"

Before anyone could stop them, she and the saxophonist jumped out of the Heli–Plane. Soon the remaining passengers began to do the same. But Heidi and Elle were reluctant.

"GUYS, STOP!" Elle shouted out. "PLEASE STAY CALM! THE PILOTS WILL SAVE US!"

But in the cockpit, the two pilots were struggling to keep the Heli–Plane in the air. "Mayday! Mayday! Mayday! This is Flight AC–12," the co–pilot said into his radio whilst the Captain battled with the controls. "We are suffering engine failure over the Alps. We are going down! I repeat – we are going down!"

BANG!

"What the hell?!" cried Elle.

Looking across the cabin, Heidi could see what had happened. "The other engine's gone too!" she gasped.

With no engines, the Heli–Plane couldn't stay airborne. Its nose dipped and it began a steep dive towards the mountains below. The engines of the aircraft screamed almost as loud as the occupants as more and more pieces broke off. The left wing then detached and it went spiralling around. It then collided with a tree ripping a gaping hole in the side of it.

The pilots could see they were heading for one of the mountains which was covered in a thick blanket of snow.

"Attention all passengers!" the Captain said. "Brace! Brace! Brace!"

The remaining passengers ducked down behind their seats, several of them were crying in fear. Elle and Heidi grabbed each other's hands for comfort as the heli-plane slammed into the snow. The impact caused the tail to detach and it skidded for about twenty metres before coming to an abrupt stop after the nose was buried in the snow.

Elle, Heidi and the rest of the passengers and crew lifted their heads once the plane had come to rest. They believed now that they were safe, but then Heidi noticed more trouble out the window.

"The right engine is on fire!" she shouted. "Everyone get out, now!"

The passengers and remaining crew quickly got up and scrambled towards the doors. The fire in the engine grew bigger and more ferocious. It looked as though it could explode at any second.

Heidi and Elle were among the last of the passengers to leave the plane whilst the lead Flight Attendant brought up the rear. It was only then that they realised not all of them were out.

"The pilots are still in there!" shouted one of the other musicians.

The Flight Attendant hurried back towards the heli-plane.

"NO! COME BACK!" Heidi shouted.

But it was too late. There was a colossal BOOM as the engine exploded. It ripped right through the aircraft and the shockwave blew everyone backwards. Heidi and Elle found themselves rolling down through the snow until they reached the bottom of the slope.

"Are you okay?" Heidi asked as she helped Elle to her feet.

"I think so," Elle replied. "Wait, where are the others?"

Heidi looked around. Nobody else from the plane was with them. they were about to call out when a deep rumble made them jump. They looked up to see the snow was about to give way.

"Quick – that cave!" Heidi yelled, grabbing Elle's arm and pulling her as fast as she could towards a nearby cave. They only just made it inside before the snow came crashing down in front of the entrance.


	3. Act II

Elle and Heidi had had their eyes shut as they huddled together inside the cave. When the rumbling subsided, they opened their eyes only to find themselves in pitch blackness.

"Err, Heidi…" Elle said nervously. "What's just happened?"

Heidi tapped the face of her watch which produced a bright light so that they could see each other's faces. Then she shone it towards the entrance. They froze and stared wide-eyed. The cave entrance was completely blocked by the snow that had fallen.

"Oh…" said Heidi. "That's not good."

Elle was very scared now. "Oh, God – we're trapped!" she wailed, shaking with terror. "They'll never find us in here!"

Heidi felt scared too, but then she remembered who she worked for. She took some deep breaths and calmed herself down before turning to Elle. "Elle, listen to me. I need you to stay calm. It's the only way that we can get through this. Can you do that for me?"

"I…I'll try," stammered Elle. "But what about my show tonight?"

"Right now, that's not important," said Heidi. "What _is_ important is that we stay alive until we are rescued."

"But how will anyone find us behind all that?" Elle asked, looking at the snow blocking the entrance. "Nobody even knows where we are."

Heidi looked down at her watch. "Then its lucky for us that I have friends who can do just that," she said as she pressed the face again. This time it began to send out an emergency beacon which she hoped would be picked up by Thunderbird 5.

* * *

John was impressed with the way Thunderbird 5 was maintained. "Well, Kerry, I can happily say everything here is more than perfection," he said.

Kerry beamed. "Thank you, John," she said happily. "That really means a lot coming from you."

John smiled. "I'd best get back to island and write up my reports along with the others," he said. "I also want to be there to see when Scott gives Alan a talking to." He added with a wink.

Kerry chuckled, but before she could answer, Kelly interrupted with some worrying news.

"Kerry, I might have something," Kelly said. "I'm picking up a distress beacon from somewhere in the Swiss Alps. I'm not certain but it sounds like one of our own signals."

"Put it on the speaker, Kelly," Kerry said. "Let's hear it."

Kelly complied and the others listened. The distinctive urgent beeping sound was one that they all recognised.

"One of our agents?" asked John.

"I can't think who though," replied Kerry. "We don't have any working in that area." She checked the signal on the holographic map whilst the others tried to figure out whose signal it was. "I can't get a firm lock on it," Kerry said. "There's too much interference from the mountains."

Katrina let out a small gasp. "Oh, God! Kerry, I know whose signal it is," she said. "It's Heidi's!"

Kerry's blood ran cold. "Heidi?! Oh, my God!" she gasped. "I need to inform Daniel right away!"

* * *

Daniel and the others were surprised when Kerry contacted them via the emergency channel.

"Daniel, we have a situation!" Kerry said.

"We do?" asked Daniel. "What is it?"

"We're picking up an emergency beacon from the Swiss Alps," said Kerry. "It's Heidi!"

"Heidi?" Daniel repeated. "But she's…oh, no!"

"What is it?" asked Scott.

"She was flying to Geneva aboard the private plane of Elle French and her band!" Daniel realised. "Something must have gone wrong!"

"We need to get out there and find her then!" said Laura jumping to her feet.

"Yes, you do," said Kerry. "I'll try and pinpoint her location."

"Can we do anything to help?" asked Gordon.

Daniel thought for a moment. "Actually, yes," he said. "With Adrienne and Beth still in space, we're two short for this mission. Virgil, could you and Gordon join us in Thunderbird 2?"

"We most certainly can," said Virgil.

"And Scott can come with me," added Laura.

"Then let's move!" said Daniel.

Laura hurried over to the revolving wall panel that led to the revolving elevator that would take her down to Thunderbird 1. After having turned through the wall and standing on the elevator, robotic arms attached her uniform to her as it went down. At the same time, Katie, Rosie, Jodie, Leanna, Wizzy, Sian and Cassidy hurried out of the lounge to make their way down to Thunderbird 2 whilst Daniel hurried over to the large rocket painting on the wall. He leant back against it and it began to tilt backwards sending him sliding down into a harness which took him down a long green tunnel. Robotic arms worked to attach his blue uniform with green utility sash as he went down. Once all that was complete, the rail his harness was on moved from the bottom side of the tunnel to the top side. Laura was now in her uniform and being carried out on a retractable walkway to Thunderbird 1. She sat down in the seat which was then moved inside before the hatchway sealed. She was shortly joined by Scott who'd got into his own suit via one of the other express elevators leading to the silos. His uniform was exactly the same as Laura's was. He took his position in one of the seats located underneath Laura's and strapped himself in. The trolley that Thunderbird 1 stood on began to move taking Thunderbird 1 up the diagonal tunnel towards its launching bay under the swimming pool. Daniel then reached Thunderbird 2's silo and swung down through the hatch in the top before closing the hatch behind him. He hurried to his seat and sat down before selecting Pod 2 on the computer. The pod conveyor activated moving Pod 1 underneath. Once Pod 2 was in position, the main body of Thunderbird 2 was lowered down onto it. Whilst all this had been going on, Virgil, Gordon, Katie, Wizzy, Leanna, Cassidy, Sian and Rosie had travelled down express elevators from the mansion to the silo and like Daniel had been changed into their uniforms on the way. Virgil's was also exactly the same as Daniel's and Gordon's was identical to Wizzy's. They were now able to join Daniel in the cockpit and were ready to go. Katie had agreed to let Virgil have a turn at the controls alongside Daniel. The rocks concealing the entrance to the hanger were lowered to allow Thunderbird 2 to taxi out onto the runway. As it came out, the palm trees were tilted back to allow it to pass. Up by the house, the swimming pool was opening up ready for Thunderbird 1 which was just coming into position on the launch pad. Thunderbird 2 was now on the launching ramp which lifted up into position. The wings folded into position and the blast shield rose into place behind the rocket engines.

5…4…3…2…1!

The rocket engines of Thunderbird 1 fired and it lifted up off the launch ramp, though the gap where the swimming pool had been before climbing high into the clear blue skies above Tracy Island. Thunderbird 2's own engines fired and it lifted up off the ramp to join its sister-ship.

"Thunderbirds are go!" said Daniel as they headed towards Switzerland.

* * *

Elle shivered. She was just as cold as she was scared. Heidi was looking around the cave to see what she could find. Incredibly, she managed to find some pieces of wood lying around and piled them up in front of Elle. She then took out an old cigarette lighter and tried lighting it.

"Do you smoke?" Elle asked.

"Never," Heidi replied. "I use it to light candles!" The lighter came on and she used it to start the wood burning. not only would this give them warmth, but it would also allow them to see their surroundings a lot more easily.

"Oh, warmth!" gasped Elle moving closer to the fire and holding her hands out. "My God, I could jump into it!"

"Please don't," said Heidi, sounding a little anxious. "They'd be no point in them rescuing us if you did."

"Who?" asked Elle. she looked at the blocked cave entrance. "Nobody's going to find us in here."

"They will, trust me," said Heidi. "My colleagues will be on their way by now...I hope," she added quietly to herself.

Elle was puzzled. "Your...colleagues?" she asked. "Are they from a rescue team?"

"You could say that, yes," said Heidi. but she didn't say any more on the subject. Both remained huddled together close to the fire in a desperate attempt to warm themselves up.

* * *

Thunderbirds 1 and 2 raced as fast as they could above the ocean whilst Thunderbird 5 moved orbit to get closer to Switzerland. Kerry was scanning all local frequencies trying to learn more about the situation.

"You got anything for us, Kerry?" Daniel asked.

"I've been listening in and it's not sounding good," Kerry replied. "The plane that they were travelling in has crashed. The local emergency services are on the scene and attending to the survivors. however, they're saying six people are unaccounted for - including Elle French."

"And Heidi must be one of them too otherwise she would've called us," said Daniel. "Okay, Kerry, keep monitoring and let me know what else comes up. Our ETA to the area is fifteen minutes."

"Make that ten for me," said Laura from Thunderbird 1.

"F-A-B," said Kerry. "By the way, I'm still having trouble trying to pin-point Heidi's location except that it's in the same area that the plane crashed."

"If that's the case, then why can't they find her?" asked Gordon.

"Avalanche, perhaps?" suggested Leanna.

The others shivered.

"Let's hope not, but let's not rule anything out yet," said Daniel.

"Why shouldn't we try to contact her?" asked Katie.

"Good idea," said Daniel. "I'll give it a go." He changed radio frequencies. "Thunderbird 2 calling Heidi Rowley. Do you read me? Over."

There was no reply. This made everyone nervous. They normally didn't get this feeling whilst on missions, but this time was different. one of their own colleagues was in trouble, and they really didn't want to lose Heidi.

"Hold on, Heidi, we're coming," Daniel said quietly to himself.

* * *

The Swiss Emergency Services had managed to find the two band members who had jumped out of the heli-plane when it was falling and had reunited them with the rest of the survivors. Now there were only two people unaccounted for as the other two missing were revealed to be the two pilots who were killed in the explosion.

"Where is Elle French?" asked the tour manager. "You have to find her!"

"Don't worry, sir, we will," said the Chief of Police. "My men are covering the whole area. They can't have got far."

* * *

Heidi and Elle weren't far away at all, but the avalanche had not only trapped them in the cave, it had also covered up any footprints that they'd made whilst running for cover. The search teams wouldn't even suspect that there was a cave hidden under the huge pile of snow.

Despite the warmth of the fire, Elle was still shivering with fear. Heidi had come round to hug her to not only help warm her up but to comfort her too. Elle appreciated this but was still afraid.

"What's your favourite song?" Heidi asked trying to make conversation.

Elle blinked, surprised by the question. "Oh, er, i've got loads," she said. "The one I finish with is my all-time favourite though. Why do you ask?"

"Just wondered," said Heidi. "I thought maybe we could have a little sing to keep our spirits up?"

Elle pondered. "Actually, that's not a bad idea," she agreed. "What did you have in mind?"

Heidi had taken out her mobile phone. It didn't have any signal to make calls, but the music player was still working somehow. "What about this one?" she asked showing the song title to Elle.

"Eye of the Tiger?" said Elle, suddenly looking more cheerful. "Now, THAT'S a fun song!"

Heidi grinned and pressed the 'play' button. First the music began to play and when the right moment came, they began to sing.

"Rising up, back on the street

Did my time, took my chances

Went the distance, now I'm back on my feet

Just a man and his will to survive.

So many time it happens too fast

You trade your passion for glory

Don't lose your grip on the dreams of the past

You must fight just to keep them alive.

It's the Eye of the Tiger

It's the thrill of the fight

Rising up to the challenge of our rival

And the last known survivor

Stalks his prey in the night

And he's watchin' us all with the Eyeee of the Tiger!"

Kerry frowned. "Who's playing music?" she asked.

John, Katrina, Kaylee, Becky and Kelly looked around, puzzled.

"None of us are," said Kelly.

"Then why can I hear singing?" asked Kerry.

"It appears to be coming from one of the radio frequencies you're monitoring," said John. He moved forwards and fiddled with the holographic controls. "There! Got it!" he said. "Whoa - it's coming from the mountains close to the crash site!"

Kerry looked closely at the frequency. She blinked in astonishment. "That's the frequency from Heidi's watch!" she exclaimed. "Thunderbird 2, tune your radio to Heidi's watch frequency now!"

"We've been trying to call her without success, Thunderbird 5," Daniel replied. "Adjusting the frequency now."

What they then heard took them all by surprise.

"Face to face, out in the heat

Hanging tough, staying hungry

They stack the odds still we take to the street

For the kill with the skill to survive.

It's the Eye of the Tiger, it's the thrill of the fight

Rising up to the challenge of our rival

And the last known survivor stalks his prey in the night

And he's watchin' us all with the Eyeee of the Tiger!"

"Is…is that Heidi?" asked Wizzy.

"Who's the other voice?" asked Cassidy. "Sounds like there's two people singing."

"Thunderbird 5, can you pinpoint where that is coming from?" asked Daniel.

"Already done," said John. "It's about three-hundred yards away from where the plane crashed, and yet the search team don't seem to have found them."

"Scan the mountain," said Daniel. "Maybe there's a cave they don't know about."

Kerry used Thunderbird 5's scanners to make a holographic map of the mountain. "Good call, Daniel," she said. "There is a cave running deep inside the mountain, and there are two life signatures inside!"

"One obviously Heidi," said Leanna. "But who could the other one be?"

"Elle French I'd guess," said Katie.

"And we have a bingo!" said John. "I've run a voice-print analysis of the two voices. It's them! Heidi _and_ Elle French!"


	4. Act III

This new was certainly a relief to everyone.

"Thank God, they're alive!" gasped Wizzy.

"John, did you say the search team's nearby?" asked Virgil.

"Yes, Virgil, but they don't seem to have found the cave," said John. "It doesn't make any sense."

At that moment, Thunderbird 1 had arrived over the mountain. Laura and Scott had also been listening to the singing and had homed in on the signal.

"Thunderbird 2, we've reached the danger zone," said Laura. "I can see the wrecked plane and the search team, but I don't see a cave anywhere."

"I can confirm that," agreed Scott. "There's nothing but snow!"

"Send us some images," said Jodie from Tracy Island.

So Laura turned on the front camera on Thunderbird 1's nose and sent the images it picked up to Tracy Island, Thunderbird 2 and Thunderbird 5.

"Oh, gosh – that's a lot of snow!" remarked Sian.

Daniel looked carefully at the footage. "Thunderbird 5, do an x-ray shot on this footage. I do have a hunch."

Kerry complied. The snow vanished from the image to reveal the cave entrance.

"There it is!" said Virgil. "The snow has buried it!"

"Must've been an avalanche," said Daniel. "Heidi and Elle must've run inside the cave for cover and it sealed off the entrance."

"So they're trapped in there," said Leanna. "That would explain why the search party hasn't found them."

"What are we going to do then?" asked Rosie. "Wouldn't Thunderbird 2's engines only make things worse?"

"There's a large enough ledge for the pod to be put on," Laura said. "I'll get the searchers to move their stuff first though."

"Might I suggest the bulldozers for this job?" added Scott.

"Providing they don't cause a secondary avalanche, yes," said Katie.

"That's a chance we'll have to take," said Daniel. "Katie, take the controls. Rosie, Virgil and Gordon, come with me. Leanna and Wizzy, made the pods into bulldozers. Sian and Cassidy will join you."

"F-A-B!" everyone replied.

Katie took the controls from Virgil as he and the others left the cockpit. Down in the pod, Daniel and Virgil collected the Jaws of Life arms whilst Wizzy and Leanna worked to make two of the interchangeable pods together as bulldozers.

"Thunderbird 2 the ledge has been cleared," said Laura. "You can come right in."

"F-A-B, Thunderbird 1," replied Katie.

The search crew stood back and watched as Thunderbird 2 maneuvered around and landed on the ledge. The landing struts lifted the main body off the pod before lifting off again. The ledge could take the weight of the pod alone but they didn't want to risk both. After the door had opened, Daniel, Virgil, Gordon and Rosie walked out whilst the bulldozer pods followed. Wizzy and Cassidy were in the first bulldozer whilst Leanna and Sian followed in the second.

"Thunderbird 5, is the signal still strong?" asked Virgil.

"So long as they keep singing, yes," replied John.

"Although to be fair, we know where they are now," Daniel said. He, Virgil, Gordon and Rosie stood back to watch as the bulldozers moved in to start clearing the snow drift. "Keep singing, ladies, we'll soon be with you," he said.

* * *

"Rising up, straight to the top

Had the guts, got the glory

Went the distance, now I'm not gonna stop

Just a man and his will to survive.

It's the Eye of the Tiger, it's the thrill of the fight

Rising up to the challenge of our rival

And the last known survivor stalks his prey in the night

And he's watchin' us all with the Eyeee of the Tiger!"

Elle and Heidi stopped abruptly. They could hear a faint rumbling sound coming from beyond the snowdrift.

"What is that?" Elle asked. "Is that another avalanche?"

Heidi went over to the snow by the entrance and listened carefully. "I know that noise," she said. "It's engines! There are vehicles out there!"

Elle's eyes lit up. She jumped up and hurried over to the blocked entrance. "You mean there are people out there?" she asked. Then she began to shout. "HEEEEEEEEELP! CAN ANYONE HEAR ME?! HELLO?!"

"Shhhhhh!" hissed Heidi. "You want the start another avalanche?"

Elle realised what Heidi meant and shook her head. "S-s-s-s-sorry," she stammered. They both moved back away from the snow to wait for the machines to come to them.

* * *

Wizzy and Leanna were using the bulldozers as diggers. They would take it in turns to scoop up a shovel-full of snow and then dump it over the side of the ledge whilst the other one went in for a shovel-full.

Scott was joining in with the action as well. He was using his jetpack to fly over the site and keep a look-out for any potential danger. "I don't like the look of those rocks above you, Daniel," he said, "Maybe you and Virgil should move them."

Daniel and Virgil looked up at the rocks. "They do look unstable," agreed Virgil.

"Agreed," said Daniel. "Gordon, get the bulldozers to back away until we can get them out of the way."

"F-A-B," said Gordon. "Bulldozers, back away for a moment. "Virgil and your father need to move some rocks."

"F-A-B, Gordon," said Wizzy. She had just dumped some snow over the side and quickly backed away.

"Moving back now," added Leanna as she put her own bulldozer into reverse. She had just picked up some snow but kept it in the shovel.

Once the bulldozers were at a safe distance, Gordon and Rosie moved round behind them for safety.

"This should be fine, Dr Hall," said Gordon.

"I do hope so," answered Rosie.

Daniel and Virgil had climbed up to the next ledge where the rocks were.

"How are we going to do this?" asked Virgil. "I don't think we can move them back. They look too heavy."

"They are, yes, even for both of us and the Jaws of Life," agreed Daniel. "There's no other option - we'll have to push them over the edge."

"Are you sure about that?" asked Scott as he landed beside them. "You might cause another avalanche."

"If either of you have any better ideas I'm open," said Daniel.

Scott and Virgil looked at each other. Neither of them did.

"Okay then," said Virgil. "Let's do this."

Scott stepped back as Daniel and Virgil used their Jaws of Life to push the first big rock over the edge. It landed in front of the snowdrift but didn't create an avalanche. Then they pushed the second rock over. This one knocked the first rock and sent it rolling over the edge. Everyone waited, but no avalanche came.

"I think it's safe," said Daniel. "Girls, remove that rock and carry on."

"I've got this," said Wizzy. She moved her bulldozer forwards and pushed the remaining rock over the edge whilst Leanna dropped her shovel-full of snow over the edge as well. Then they both started digging away at the snow whilst the others watched.

Thunderbirds 1 and 2 continued to hover nearby. Katie was feeling restless.

"Something wrong, sis?" Laura asked.

"Oh, nothing, Laura," Katie replied. "I just feel...kind of helpless. I don't feel as though I'm doing anything to help."

"You are helping," Laura replied. "Someone needs to keep the ships away from the snow."

Katie bit her lip. "I…suppose so," she sighed.

Scott continued to monitor progress from above. "You're almost there, girls," he said. "Keep it up."

Thunderbird 3 had finally returned to Tracy Island where Alan was looking a little unwell after his wild space ride.

"What have you been doing to him?" Joanne asked Beth and Adrienne.

"He wanted a go and we let him," Adrienne replied.

Zoë handed Alan a glass of water. "This ought to help," she said.

"Uggh, thanks, Mrs Tracy," Alan said weakly as he drank the water.

"Where are the others?" Beth asked realising that it was only them and Jodie left.

"The others are out on a mission," Jodie said. "The plane carrying Heidi and Elle French went down. The others are digging them out of a cave as we speak."

Beth and Adrienne exchanged looks. They hoped Heidi was safe.

"How are things going?" Jodie asked Daniel.

"It's going well so far, Jodie," Daniel answered. "We're almost at the cave entrance. Kerry and John have reported that there's no longer any singing from inside but that's probably because they can hear the bulldozer engines."

It wasn't long before the two bulldozers reached the mouth of the cave.

"Just one more and we'll be through," said Wizzy.

"Good job, girls," said Daniel. "Wizzy, you're closest. Leanna, move back."

"F-A-B," said Leanna moving her bulldozer away.

"Ready, Wizzy?" asked Daniel.

"Ready, Dad," replied Wizzy.

"Ready," said Cassidy.

"Ready," said Virgil.

Daniel nodded. "Go for it," he said.

Wizzy eased the bulldozer forwards scooping up the snow. Inside the cave, Heidi and Elle saw the snow shift and fall away as Wizzy then reversed away carrying the snow that she'd scooped up. Daniel then eased his way through the hole and turned on his LED searchlight.

"Heidi?"

"Daniel?!" Heidi ran forwards and threw her arms around him - which turned out to be a bit painful due to his equipment.

Virgil then came inside. "Elle French?" he asked.

Elle hurried forwards. "Yes, that's me!" she said.

"Come, we're getting you out of here," said Virgil. "Hello, Heidi."

"Hey, Virgil," said Heidi.

"Did you forget?" Daniel whispered as they headed for the exit.

Heidi didn't want to admit it. "Yes," she said sheepishly as they passed through the hole and out into the open.

The other Thunderbirds grinned and sighed with relief to see Heidi and Elle were safe.

"Are you two okay?" asked Daniel.

"We're fine," said Heidi. "A little chilly, but we're okay."

"How did you find us?" asked Elle. "And where are the others?"

"The others are safe down the bottom of the mountain," said Gordon.

"Good singing," Daniel added.

Heidi and Elle blinked and looked at him. "Huh?!" they both exclaimed together.

Daniel grinned and tapped his wrist controller. It then began to play a recording of them singing over the radio.

"It's the Eye of the Tiger, it's the thrill of the fight

Rising up to the challenge of our rival

And the last known survivor stalks his prey in the night

And he's watchin' us all with the Eyeee of the Tiger!"

Heidi and Elle were surprised.

"How on earth?" Elle asked.

"Your watch, Heidi," Daniel said. "Maybe you left it on?"

Heidi blushed. "I guess my emergency locator wasn't powerful enough," she said.

"Don't worry, Jodie can enhance it for you," said Daniel.

"Wait, stop!" Elle interrupted. "Can someone explain what's going on?"

Everyone looked at Daniel and Heidi. Heidi drew breath. "I work for them, Elle," she said. "I'm a member of International Rescue."

Elle's eyes went wider than ever and her mouth fell open. "Really?!" she gasped and looked around at the others. "Oh...my, God!"

Suddenly there came another rumbling sound. The ground beneath their feet started shaking.

"Whoa! What's happening?!" exclaimed Gordon.

Laura brought Thunderbird 1 down and could see what the problem was. "Everyone move!" she yelled. "That ledge is going to collapse!"

"MOVE!" Daniel shouted.

Everyone started running. Luckily the two bulldozers were already at a safe distance but the others were still in danger. Gordon and Rosie led the way followed by Elle, Virgil, Heidi, Daniel and finally Scott. But the cracks in the ledge were spreading rapidly.

"Hurry! HURRY!" Leanna, Sian, Cassidy and Wizzy shouted.

Rosie and Gordon made it in time, but the ground suddenly collapsed under the others' feet. Daniel grabbed Heidi and managed to grab onto a chunk of rock, but Virgil, Scott and Elle fell away yelling.

"NOOO!" Daniel and the others all yelled in horror.

Virgil quickly used the Jaws of Life to grab onto some rocks and stop himself and Scott activated his jetpack but Elle continued to fall screaming.

Scott didn't waste a second. He applied power to his jetpack and dived after Elle. He could see her wide eyes looking back at him and her scream ran through his helmet but he kept on going. As he approached he held out his hands. Elle held hers out as well and he grabbed her before she could hit the rocks underneath her. He then began to fly them back upwards towards the others.

"Scott, heads up!" shouted Virgil.

Scott had to duck and weave about to avoid the large chunks of rock that were still falling around them. Normally he could do this easily, but it wasn't so easy whilst trying to carry Elle as well.

"OH, GOD!" Elle wailed. "WE'RE GONNA DIE!"

"No, we're not!" said Scott defiantly. "Now hold on, I'm going to have to throw you."

"Wait, WHAT?!" Elle exclaimed.

"VIRGIL, CATCH!" Scott yelled.

Before Elle could say anything else, Scott threw her upwards with all his might. She screamed again as Virgil reached out and grabbed her with one of his Jaws arms.

Elle gasped again panting heavily as she looked wide-eyed at Virgil. "I've got you!" he said.

Scott then appeared beside them. "Good catch," he said,

"Good throw," Virgil replied.

Scott took hold of Elle again and flew her up to to ledge where the others were waiting whilst Virgil used the Jaws to pull himself up. Gordon had helped Heidi up whilst Daniel had pulled himself up as well.

"Guys, what's going on?" Kerry asked urgently over the radio. "Is everyone okay?"

"We're fine, Kerry," Daniel replied. "Everyone's just fine."

Elle threw her arms around Virgil and hugged him tightly. "Oh, thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" she said, shedding tears of joy. She then did the same thing with Scott. "My heroes!" she said looking at them happily.

Scott and Virgil looked at each other and grinned proudly. It felt good to be back in the field once again.

* * *

The Thunderbirds returned to Tracy Island, and at Heidi's request they brought Elle with them. Elle wasn't hurt, just deeply shaken and Heidi felt that she didn't want to be facing the press right now. Elle was grateful and after making some phone calls to her parents to make sure they knew she was safe, she also called her tour manager and instructed him to postpone the rest of the tour until she felt ready to carry on.

Alan was feeling a lot better now and John had returned from Thunderbird 5. Elle couldn't stop herself for thanking the members of International Rescue for saving her life, especially Scott and Virgil. She was even more surprised to learn that they were actually the 'behind-the-scenes' operatives like Heidi and not normally out on the front line like Daniel and the girls.

"You guys are simply amazing!" Elle said to them all. "If there's anything I can do to repay you, I'll do it."

The others looked at each other. Then Laura had an idea. "Say, Elle, I know you said you're taking a break from performing, but do you think you could sing one song for us?" she asked.

"I could," said Elle, "but nobody from my orchestra are here."

"That's no issue," said Daniel. He nodded towards a large drum kit, piano, some violins and guitars that were sitting in a corner of the lounge. "By pure coincidence, tonight was going to be our music night. So you can top the bill if you'd like."

Elle grinned. "I'd be honoured," she said.

And so it was done. With Beth on the drums, Wizzy on the Bass Guitar, Adrienne on the Guitar, Laura and Katie on the violins and Virgil on the piano, Elle smartened herself up and finished off the music night for the people who'd saved her life.

"I let it fall, my heart, and as it fell you rose to claim it

It was dark and I was over until you kissed my lips and you saved me

My hands, they're strong. But my knees were far too weak

To stand in your arms, without falling to your feet.

But there's a side to you that I never knew, never knew.

And the things you'd say, they were never true, never true.

And the games you play, you would always win, always win.

But I set FIREEE to the RAAAIN, watched it pour as I touched your face,

Well it burned while I cried 'cause I heard it screaming out your name, your name!

When I lay with you, I could stay there

Close my eyes, feel you here forever

You and me together, nothing gets better.

But there's a side to you that I never knew, never knew.

And the things you'd say, they were never true, never true.

And the games you play, you would always win, always win.

But I set FIREEE to the RAAAIN, watched it pour as I touched your face,

Well it burned while I cried 'cause I heard it screaming out your name, your name!

I set FIREEE to the RAAAIN, and I threw us into the flames.

When it fell, something died 'cause I knew that that was the last time, last time!

Sometimes I wake up by the door, that heart you caught must be waiting for you.

Even know when we're already over, I can't help myself from looking for you.

I set FIREEE to the RAAAIN, watched it pour as I touched your face,

Well it burned while I cried 'cause I heard it screaming out your name, your name!

I set FIREEE to the RAAAIN, and I threw us into the flames.

When it fell, something died 'cause I knew that that was the last time, last time!

Oh noooo

Let it burn, oh

Let it burn

Let it burn!"

The Tracy Lounge erupted with a chorus of cheers and applause. Heidi couldn't help but feel a little emotional. To see Elle French perform anywhere was a spectacular sight, but this was better than any theatre performance that she could've seen her do.


End file.
